Play. Explore. Create.

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Play. Explore. Create.

NaTure's Playscape

Roll down a hill. Build a fort. Splash in a stream. Hide in the hobbit house. When you discover Wildrock, you open yourself up to the joy of free play in nature. At Wildrock, the joy of nature play nurtures strong family and community bonds. Wildrock offers field trips for all ages (preschoolers through the senior years), overnight camping events for families, community play days, and therapeutic retreats with nonprofit partners. Come play with us!!! We look forward to welcoming you.

Wildrock's story

Wildrock is a labor of love for hundreds of volunteers dedicated to creating a special place in nature for family bonding, creative play, and quiet reflection. Wildrock creates joyful experiences that counteract the stresses of daily life and inspire a healing relationship with the natural world.

Wildrock's story

Wildrock is a labor of love for hundreds of volunteers dedicated to creating a special place in nature for family bonding, creative play, and quiet reflection. Wildrock creates joyful experiences that counteract the stresses of daily life and inspire a healing relationship with the natural world.

A Note from Founder

Carolyn Schuyler

We are excited to welcome you to WIldrock! We hope that the views of Fox Mountain, the mountain streams, and the creative fun of the playscape will bring you as much joy as we have experienced the last two years bringing Wildrock to life. We are grateful to local nonprofit Building Goodness and to the hundreds of volunteers and donors that have stepped forward to help make the vision a reality.

The idea for Wildrock came from the land itself. Watching our own kids' happiness clamoring up to the rock overlook, playing under the willow tree, and watching minnows in the stream inspired us to think about transforming our family's land into a public space for joyful connection to nature.

We know that time spent in nature helps us to be happier, healthier, and more creative. Research supports this, but it has become increasingly difficult to get kids outside. Kids, on average, spend seven minutes a day in outdoor play and seven hours with electronic devices. Thanks to partnerships with dozens of schools and local nonprofits, Wildrock will be welcoming hundreds of children and families to help create the happy memories in nature that are the seeds of a conservation ethic and the building blocks of healthy child development. We are working with schools, nonprofits, and universities to expand opportunities for health-promoting experiences in nature and to advance the emerging field of ecotherapy. We hope to be a special place in nature for you and your family for years to come.

Things to do

Here at Wildrock, you can:

enjoy the enclosed three-acre nature playscape

traverse the walking labyrinth

visit the tent village

play at the barn center

and explore the discovery trail!

Visitors enjoy mountain views, access to beautiful mountain streams, and play meadows. We are adjacent to Patricia Byrom Forest Preserve, the largest park in Albemarle County, where visitors enjoy an extensive hiking and biking trail system.

Things to do

Here at Wildrock, you can:

enjoy the enclosed three-acre nature playscape

traverse the walking labyrinth

visit the tent village

play at the barn center

and explore the discovery trail!

Visitors enjoy mountain views, access to beautiful mountain streams, and play meadows. We are adjacent to Patricia Byrom Forest Preserve, the largest park in Albemarle County, where visitors enjoy an extensive hiking and biking trail system.

Wildrock is a private 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting nature play for health and happiness. We offer educational, recreational, and therapeutic programs to a broad and diverse audience.

Saturday and Wednesday (by reservation)

Additional week days (by reservation for schools and community groups.)